By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced that he will hold a series of public gatherings in Punjab starting next week, in a bid to prepare the public to protest if elections are not held on time.
Khan plans to kick off the campaign in Lahore and end in Attock on May 14, the date set by the country’s top court for general polls in the province.
Khan, who spoke at a public rally in support of Pakistan’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial for upholding the Constitution in Lahore on Saturday, said he would come out and prepare the public to protest if elections were not held on time.
“When a country’s Constitution is violated, it means the justice system and the rule of law have ended. Most of all, it means that the nation has lost its freedom and become slaves. We will not rest till elections are held and Pakistan is free,” Khan told the crowd.
“I will start holding public rallies from next week and go up to Attock until May 14.”
The rally lasted for just under two hours and included a brief ten-minute speech by Khan from his bullet-proof vehicle.
“I am on the roads now. Come join me for the sake of posterity. The country is in the throes of deep crises: six soldiers were martyred a day before yesterday, seven teachers got gunned down…and inflation has shot through the roof,” the PTI chairman told his supporters.
The former premier maintained the constitution and rule of law were in danger in Pakistan amid an ongoing tussle between the government, opposition, and the judiciary following the top court’s decision to take up a case related to delayed elections in Punjab.
“Do not forget that if the Supreme Court gets defied, the Constitution would collapse. It means the end of the rule of law and the beginning of the law of the jungle. We would not let it happen,” Khan said.
Khan accused the current interim governments in KPK and Punjab provinces of losing their validity to remain in power, as their 90 days of constitutional tenure has expired.
Ousted prime minister Khan has been pushing for assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces as part of a campaign to force an early general election that he has waged since being forced from office a year ago after losing a vote of confidence.
Khan dissolved provincial governments to force Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government to hold an early national election.
Sharif has rejected Khan’s call and his government had backed an election commission delay in the votes in the two provinces to October 8.
The commission cited a lack of resources and the government agreed saying it was not possible to organise the provincial elections while the country was struggling with an economic crisis and with a general election due around early October anyway.
The Supreme Court, however, ordered that elections in two provinces should go ahead by May 15 despite government reluctance to hold the votes now.
Sharif’s party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, critised Justice Bandial for what it called “committed flagrant violations of law & constitution to favor Imran Khan/Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf”. It also demanded Chief Justice Bandial step down from his post.
Though the top judge warned political leaders against “dragging” judges into politics.
The government also blamed the apex court for going beyond its constitutional remit and undermining parliamentary supremacy.
Khan said the entire nation stands for the Constitution “and (against) the way this mafia (government) is putting pressure on and doing propaganda against the chief justice and (other) judges”.
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